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NewsDay

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Govt, USAid launch $100m food aid programme

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GOVERNMENT and the USAid yesterday jointly launched a $100 million food aid programme to benefit over 500 000 people in drought-prone areas.

GOVERNMENT and the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) yesterday jointly launched a $100 million food aid programme to benefit over 500 000 people in drought-prone areas throughout the country over the next five years.

Feluna Nleya

The programme, to be administered under two projects Ensure and Amalima,  is wholly funded by USAid with other international development partners such as World Vision and CNFA involved in the implementation stages.

Acting Agriculture minister Ignatius Chombo said the programme would go a long way in improving the country’s nutritional status.

“The nutrition situation in Zimbabwe is of great concern to our government,” Chombo said.

“We are aware that about one out of every three of our children is chronically malnourished, 25% of all deaths of children under the age of five are attributed to nutritional deficiencies and 47% of women are anaemic. These two projects should produce verifiable impacts in the lives and livelihoods of the intended 834 000 beneficiaries.”

He said the projects should address issues of sustainability during their implementation as the country sought to move away from the dependency syndrome.

“The bulk of the budget allocation should reach the intended beneficiaries and not enrich the officers responsible for the projects,” Chombo said.

Chombo said although the country had managed to reduce extreme poverty levels from 36% in 1995 to 16% in 2011-2012, overall poverty levels were still high at around 60%.

US Ambassador Bruce Wharton said the programme underscored his country’s commitment to Zimbabwe.

“I am pleased to say that this commitment continues as we begin a new chapter in our combined endeavours to address food and nutrition insecurity,” Wharton said.

The Ensure project shall be implemented in Masvingo and Manicaland provinces with the Amalima project targeting households in Matabeleland North and South provinces.